Finnish businessman to open deli chain in Cebu

A Finnish businessman is now greatly considering the prospect of putting up his own deli and processing Finnish products in the country.

Petteri Kovanen, the president and CEO of FinnDel Inc., a distributor of Finnish products such as reindeer meat, Finn toast rye bread, mustard, cream, cheeses, healthy coffee, chocolates, ciders, caviar, meatballs, salami, jams and spreads and among others found Cebuanos very much interested with Finnish products.

Kovanen was one of the exhibitors during the recently concluded World Food Expo (WOFEX) in the Visayas at the Cebu International Convention Center.

FinnDel Inc. products are currently being carried by Tinder Box, but Kovanen said that after the show, he is seriously considering opening a deli chain of his own which will be located at key cities all over the country such as Manila, Cebu and Davao.

The deli will carry Finnish products distributed by FinnDel Inc. and at the same time offer fastfood Finnish blanch meals such as meatballs, mashed potatoes, breads and other meals that will provide its customers with healthy choices, said Kovanen.

“The reception of Filipinos for our Finnish products is really good. I’m relieved that we have quite similar tastes from sweets, beverages and food products. There are a lot of opportunities here and I’m quite surprised with the kind of interest of consumers on these kinds of products and it is encouraging me to pursue a start up business,” Kovanen said.

He said that he might push through with his start up venture on the second half of this year in Manila. Whereas in Cebu, after having realized the demand for their products they will also put up another deli to strengthen their marketing presence in the area. 

“The feeling is very positive in Cebu especially that consumers are health conscious so there is already a captured market for our healthy Finnish food. We want to be visible here in Cebu as well as the second biggest city in the country there are a lot of potential customers who would want to try our products,” he added.

But aside from his plan of a start up deli business, Kovanen also outlaid plans of manufacturing and processing some of their Finnish products here in the country and carrying them under one brand that will be available for the mass market.

He said that he will be starting with the products that can withstand the kind of climate we have in the country such as processed mustard and meat balls. He is also considering to process reindeer meat although it will be high-end since the cost of raw materials is considerable expensive.

“The operation will be very big. The one brand will be for the mass market so that every Filipino can also get hold of our healthy Finnish products. The processing operations will in turn generate job opportunities for locals,” he stressed.

Right now, Kovanen is in close negotiation with big supermarket chains in Cebu to carry the Finnish products they are distributing. —Rhia de Pablo